Looking At Dickens Hard Times English Literature Essay

“ It was a town of unnatural ruddy and black like the painted face of a barbarian. It was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which endless snakes of fume trailed themselves everlastingly and of all time, and ne’er got straight… where the Piston of the steam engine worked monotonously up and down like the caput of an elephant a province of melancholy lunacy… inhabited by people every bit like one another, who all went in and out at the same hours, with the same sound upon the same pavings, to make the same work and to whom everyday was the same as yesterday and tomorrow. ”

This description contains both metaphor and intension, with the snakes being a scriptural metaphor for wickedness and immorality. The adust and stained chimneys giving the image of snake pit whilst the very impression that each edifice is twinned by the following is reflected in the manner that everything in Coketown abides by a rigorous uniform. The down citizens mirror this suffering scene as they go about their day-to-day modus operandis.

Both societal and modern-day issues are appraised throughout Dickens status of England novel and Dickens echoes many of Carlye ‘s statements against the power of mercenary positions ; nevertheless, Hard Times besides shows that human nature is a strong force and the positive traits that it holds such as hope, compassion and imaginativeness are non easy destroyed. These qualities are preserved in characters such as Rachael, Sleary and Sissy, even Mr Gradgrind finally reveals some elements of humanity.

In truth, Hard Times is an onslaught on the Manchester school of economic sciences and is critical of the manner society footing itself on the lassie-faire system of capitalist economy. The 1800s witnessed the Industrial Revolution expanse across England. Dickens saw the industrial revolution as a negative event and one that stripped people of their rights in favor of net income. The lower category workers began to confront even more poorness as the indurate mill proprietors exploited them for every bit much money and production as possible. Fines were a regular happening for any worker who dared to take a remainder, even if pregnant. Dickens viewed the industrial revolution through human-centered eyes and believed the generalization of workers a simply ‘hands ‘ took away any signifier of individualism as they became a voiceless and powerless figure who would ne’er be right in the eyes of the mill foremans. Stephen Blackpool expresses this position “ look how we live, an ‘ wheer we live, an ‘ in what Numberss… and how yo are awlus right and how we are awlus incorrect ”

Although the individualistic system was supposed to offer the single freedom of pick whilst supplying society with the greater good for the bulk, Dickens uses Stephen Blackpool to demo that this is non the instance because although he could discontinue his occupation he would non be free as there was no benefit system in topographic point to take attention of the unemployed. A new occupation would hold to be acquired and necessarily, it would come with the same cruel conditions and the same oppressive attitude from another self-seeking foreman making their upmost to obtain as much work for every bit small wage as possible.

Devils as his interpreter basically uses Blackpool as he portrays the laden, thankless worker, his plundering at the custodies of Bounderby high spots this in an effort to demo the power he holds over his employees. Bounderby in a sense personifies the individualistic system ; he preaches the political orientation of facts over imaginativeness by showing himself as the perfect illustration of person who has come through inauspicious poorness to be a self-made adult male. Yet he is populating in his ain fanciful universe as none of his fabrications of a hapless upbringing holds any truth hence Bounderbys beliefs and his existent life make an interesting paradox.

Because of the industrial revolution society changed with a new in-between category emerging whose moral responsibility, in Dickens eyes, was to contend for the rights of the powerless lower category. Many of these new in-between category persons would get down trade brotherhoods and even fall in parliament in an effort to alter the Torahs to profit the hapless, nevertheless the impression that workers should fall in in trade brotherhoods was non something Dickens embraced. In Hard Times, the trade brotherhoods lead by Slackbridge is non portrayed in an attractive visible radiation. Equally much as Dickens disagreed with the societal divides, it is non mentioned really to a great extent in Hard Times.

Dickens does nevertheless propose that love could decrease development and this is symbolised by the brotherhood of Sissy and Louisa that besides shows that no affair where a individual comes from nor what category they are labelled as, they are equal and should be afforded the self-respect of basic human rights.

Dickens besides challenges the plodding of the instruction system, the gap lines of the novel, spoken by Mr Gradgrind

“ Now, what I want is facts. Teach these male childs and misss nil but facts. Facts entirely are wanted in life. Plant nil else, and root out everything else ”

Is a contemplation of the subjugation kids faced within the schoolroom. Mr Gradgrind based his beliefs on the useful theory and made it the foundation and doctrine for his school. This resulted in the kids being viewed as empty vass to be filled with facts. Mr Gradgrind reflected this doctrine through his character

“ He seemed like some sort of cannon loaded to the muzzle with facts and prepared to blow them clear out of the parts of childhood in one discharge ”

This description of the schools doctrine is ironically contained within the chapter ‘murdering the inexperienced persons ‘ .

The jobs with such a doctrine is shown through Louisa who is a perfect merchandise of the school of facts yet lives an unfulling life as she is incapable of basking or appreciating what she has in an emotional mode as she has suppressed her emotions long ago. Too much accent was placed on make fulling the kids with facts whilst pretermiting all other facets of their development. This is the cardinal failure of Gradgrind ‘s school and is shown via the satirical portraiture of Mr M’Choakumchid, one of the instructors charged put ining the facts into the kids. The really name M’Choakemchild is a word drama as he literally choked the kid with facts.

Gradgrind ‘s school dehumanises the kids whereas the circus restores humanity, this divide of fact and fancy symbolises an grownup ‘s attitude on life. This is non the lone binary resistance in Hard Times as we see Effeminate as a happy, inventive and colorful kid, opposed by Bitzer who is devoid of all imaginativeness and coloring material, he is a dull individual and this is shown in his visual aspect.

It was Dickens belief that a life without imaginativeness and joy is a life of insufficiency and wretchedness.

This is a failing within the useful instruction system that Dickens high spots, nevertheless he fails to acknowledge that without this system many kids would have no instruction and would be forced to either work in the coalmines or be incarcerated, much the manner a 12-year-old Dickens was, to work in the workhouses.

Devils, through Hard Times shows that there is a great stratification between the working category and the higher category, there was so, as Disraeli stated, “ two states of England, the rich and the hapless ”

The useful system, Industrial revolution and individualistic capitalist economy all come under rough unfavorable judgment from the pen of Dickens because these systems allow for no compassion nor nurturing of human qualities that enables people to love and unrecorded life instead than travel done life as a stereotype regurgitating facts.

The overruling message to the populace is that people born in sordidness are non merely exploited but besides nothingness of any rights and privileges and this is a societal ailment that needs addressing.

Gaskell, like Dickens, used her bildungsroman fresh North and South to pull attending to the status of England and turn to the societal issues of the clip. Through the chief supporter, Margaret, she shows the divides in society and the attitude and contempt the lower category is held in.

Margaret moves from the sleepy Southern town of Helstone to the Northern industrial town of Milton, which is set in the center of the industrial revolution, due to her male parent ‘s determination to go forth his station as a curate and travel north on the advice of his good friend Mr Bell. These two really differing climes serve as a metaphor for the experiences and people by whom Margaret is surrounded. With her male parent now viewed as a dissident, he takes the function of a coach. This shows the 19th century concern of the crisis of the church.

Margaret is an independent strong minded and out spoken adult females who detests one of her male parent ‘s students, John Thornton who is a mill maestro as she sees him as a cold indurate adult male whose lone involvement is money. As Margaret faces great adversity in Milton, she learns to sympathize with the predicament of the lower category worker

“ Elizabeth Gaskell describes a sort of apartheid in early Victorian Manchester, where members of the in-between category can walk the streets of the town without of all time come ining the slum territories, therefore staying ignorant of poorness in their ain zone ” ( Wheeler 38 )

Gaskell looks at both sides of unrest between maestro and worker ; she witnesses the workers traveling on work stoppage due to Thornton cut downing the rewards because of force per unit area coming from America. To intensify issues he does non give an account to the workers for this pay decrease.

However, he does give an account to Margaret

“ Do you give your retainers grounds for your outgo, or your economic system in the usage of your ain money? We, the proprietors of capital have a right to take what we will make with it ” ( Gaskell 468 )

Contrary to Thornton Margaret does seek to construct some empathy with the workers as she tries to explicate the state of affairs of the capital holders and husbandmans to the workers during the work stoppage.

As money become short so excessively did the supply of nutrient with the workers repasts frequently been replaced by tea as this gave the organic structure the feeling it had eaten due to the caffeine and sugar content. This was cheaper for the factory proprietors but resulted in an addition in malnutrition. The chief beginning for nutrition such as staff of life and murphies became a luxury the worker could non afford and an unneeded disbursal in the eyes of the employer.

The tea symbolises the category divisions with the hapless imbibing it merely to last whereas the higher category would imbibe the tea as a luxury trade good, which is important as Victorian society based a batch of societal opinion on how one would take their tea/meals.

Throughout the novel, Gaskell uses dialect address to demo that she understands the universe of which she writes.

Margaret forges friendly relationships with both upper and working category households and as she is unfamiliar with the problem between categories, she has an indifferent position on the people and Acts of the Apostless as a go-between within her little circle seeking to foreground the jobs caused by the category struggle.

Gaskell, through Margaret, empowers the ‘weaker sex ‘ and regardless of the societal standing of each character, she examines the function of adult females in Victorian England, industrialisation and the effects it has on category divisions.

Throughout the novel, Margaret has to accept the societal effects of the Class system but through Higgins and Bessy, she learns that no affair what people are still people irrespective of the category they have bestowed upon them.

Gaskell demonstrates that although there are category divides within Victorian society it is still possible for these people to pass on with one another and even do determinations together. For Gaskell communicating between the categories is the lone manner to accomplish harmoniousness within society. Although category battle can non be distinguished wholly, it can be reduced for the common benefit of each category.

Gaskell like Dickens was “ composing the sort of novel that asked all the inquiries and was at least cognizant of a whole scope of possible replies. ” ( Pollard 193 )

Through Margaret ‘s mute declaration to get married Thornton, Gaskell signifies the declaration of the novel, the binding of the two genders, the binding of the two halves of England, the binding of persons and the societal categories, basically the binary resistances are united.

Gaskell used the novel to foreground the predicament of adult females and the underprivileged workers and demanded that the wealthy factory proprietors address the ailments of the industrial age ; she believed that their Christian charity and good heartedness could convey about the much-needed societal alteration.

Dickens was besides concerned with the quandary of adult females and their battle to last in a adult male ‘s universe. Victorians strongly believe that a adult female ‘s topographic point was in the place, therefore she was known as the ‘angle of the house ‘ .

Both Dickens and Gaskell represented the disadvantaged society every bit good as assailing the oppressive nature of Victorian society and its failure to help the hapless. Aware of their ability to make out to middle category readers and motivated by their sense of societal scruples, both wrote in an enlightening and traveling manner about the on the job category battles, both nevertheless “ hedge the instance for extremist alteration to category constructions, trusting alternatively on the accommodating secret plans of matrimony and reunited households. ” ( Tucker 83 )

However, it has to be said “ from their middle-class world-view, neither author could perchance see the category system as per se oppressive and exploitatory, a societal building that might necessitate deconstruction. ” ( DeVine 5 )